Discussions on Christ as Refuge, healing, and themes in a book called Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart

Refuge

Salvation ... comes from the Lord ... because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37:39-40)

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Birthday Robbery

A
Presidential election is upon us once again.Political issues come and go, but some issues go far beyond the realm of
politics, into existential realities of life itself.

One such
issue is the gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion.The procedure is carried out on late-term
unborn children who are in most cases able to survive outside the womb.After the combined decision of a mother not
wanting the child and a medical professional who executes the procedure, the
baby is killed in the birth canal.After labor is induced and the baby's head has already appeared in the
world, an abortion practitioner uses an instrument to crush the skull.Then the remaining body of the baby is
removed fromits mothers body.To add to the cruelty, groups like Planned
Parenthood (PP) have been caught selling the slaughtered baby's body
parts.PP uses these funds for aborting
more babies,propaganda campaigns disguised
as "sex education," and further degrading of women.This kind of treatment of human beings is
barbaric.It is birthday robbery for
thousands of children in the US each year.

The debate
last week between the two top candidates for President addressed this
topic.Can you believe the activities
described above are proudly endorsed by one of the candidates?The democratic party candidate (with the
initials HRC) claims to have a history of advocacy for children.But her party platform states in writing,
and HRC strongly verbalizes her support for partial-birth abortion and PP.Advocating for children by wishing them
deadis a double standard.Framing PP as a health-care provider and
ignoring their activities of extortion and cover-up is fraud.This is also called deception.

Franklin Graham has called HRC out on this by saying,
"You can't say you've spent your life standing up for children, when you
support killing them in the womb."Robbing children of their
birthday is only one type of thievery HRC actively participates in.The corruption of her thirty year political
history is too great to list here.Like
never before in the history of Presidential election campaigns, HRC has been in
collusion withnational press to
influence public opinion in her favor.The mainstream media has one-sidedly promoted HRC in her defense of PP
and partial-birth abortion (and many other issues).That is a specific type of deception.It is called propaganda.

This
powerful lobby doesn't have the final say.The voters have the final say.Your vote is your voice on this matter.If you area person who cares
about justice for all, I hope your voice will be heard.Please do not turn your back on the
voiceless children, but make sure your vote is counted to support life whenever
you have an opportunity to vote.A
Proverb says,

"Rescue those being led away
to death;hold back those staggering toward slaughter.If you say, “But we knew nothing
about this,”does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?Does not he who guards your life know it?Will he not repay everyone according to what they have
done?"

Proverbs 24:11-12

To NOT vote
is a vote.Not voting is a vote for
death.If you are one of those people
who says they don't like any of the candidates, then vote WITH the one who has
the strongest stand for life (if you feel you cannot vote FOR them).Voting AGAINST the greatest evil, is better
than not voting at all.Besides, the
names on the ballot aren't as important as the party platforms they represent
(see my previous blog May God Be Made Great in America, Again).When a candidate (and platform) confuses a
barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion with "reproductive
health," that must be called evil.The ancient Israeli prophet spoke these words, "Woe to those who
call evilgood and goodevil, who put darkness for
light and light for darkness ...Therefore ...their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like
dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord
Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel."(Isaiah 5:20,24).Simply put, rejecting God's created design
for human life and natural order, creates chaos and irreversible disorder.

If you care
about America, there are some additional things you can do about this.First, you can pray.Humble yourself and seek the face of God Almighty
and turn from whatever ways are displeasing to Him.He responses with healing and forgiveness when hearts are
surrendered to Him (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).Another thing you can do is turn off your TV and refuse to subject your
mind to the propaganda campaign.Abstaining especially from what they call "news," will clear
your mind to receive truth in better places (particularly the Bible).Then, encourage your friends and family to
resist the temptation for propaganda as well, and vote for candidates who truly
have a record of supporting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Oh yes, and
one more thing.That same candidate
that equated infanticide with advocacy for children also called everyone who
disagreed "deplorable" and "irredeemable."So, am I deplorable if I choose to think
about how to avoid doing evil for good and good for evil?I think not.I think you are not either.As Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of
evil, is for good men to do nothing."If fighting evil is called deplorable, I'd rather be labeled as such
than to do nothing.

Irredeemable?If there would be such a thing as an
"irredeemable person," who would decide how to define it?No person should be declared irredeemable.Even people who align themselves with a
gruesome practice like partial-birth abortion are redeemable.If one person is declared unworthy of
redemption, then the entire human race is equally irredeemable because we are
all made of the same stuff.Thus, when
HRC condemned people as irredeemable in her speech, she declared herself, and
her own supporters as irredeemable.

Do the
Democratic party leaders believe in a kind of government that needs to control
people in order to"purify"
the population from people they deem as deplorable and irredeemable?Yes, we heard it directly from the mouth of
their candidate running for President and their platform is full of such
language.This is called fascism
(belief in a purified superior race).We need only to look back in history as far as Nazi Germany to see what
kind of horrific robbery this imposes on peoples lives.By the way, PP's founder Margaret Sanger had
strong ties to the Nazi leaders and comes from the same philosophy.

Politicians
may use words to spin people's thinking in a particular direction, but the
final authority lies with a higher power.There is always hope in the Redemption of God's amazing grace.God's mercy and justice are perfect.God's actions do not have to satisfy
political correctness because they exemplify absolute correctness.God's vote is the final vote.

The One who
came into the world to redeem the world (see John 3:16-17) has the final say on
this.True redemption is
spiritual.It is a supernatural event
and process.The primary goal of evil
is to steal our redemption.Jesus
himself said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"
(John 10:10).The true nature of the
battle against evil is in the spiritual realm.Jesus came and wonthat
battle.The spiritual world has a
mirror image in the physical world.Jesus uses imagery of a thiefseeking to rob a person of life in contrast to the fullness of life he
offers as a free gift to all who believe in him.The thief is the enemy of our soul.The thieftries to make
people believe they are irredeemable.The thief tries to rob people of re-birth into an eternal life with
God.

"For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes
in Him ..." (John 3:16) is not irredeemably condemned to hell, but will
have eternal life.Surrendering your
heart to him washes away guilt and shame.Even the shame caused by birthday robbery has been taken care ofby the death of Jesus on the cross.Christ's death resurrection gives each
person the chance to be redeemed.My
hope is that you will receive that redeeming power today.You may disagree, but you are never
irredeemable.by Ed & Stephanie Hersh,
Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Back Cover Text

Escaping the Pain of Offense reveals how forgiveness and reconciliation are linked to a person’s spiritual, physical, mental and emotional health.

This insightful book combines Bible knowledge with the findings of experts in the counseling field and provides solutions that can change lives. It leads us through a process of removing blocks and becoming free of entrapment to a cycle of offense. Conflicts are resolved by positively impacting core beliefs about God, self and others. Hersh shows us how to surrender to a loving, personal God as our ultimate authority and judge. Through Escaping the Pain ofOffense, you will be equipped to:

- Discern truth from fallacy about forgiveness

- Receive God’s love as central to change

- Find rest and peace in the inner being

- Resolve conflict to enable harmonious relationships

- Discover and break active cycles of offense

Includes a ten session study guide.

"This book helps the reader engage the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to release the provision for healthy and joyful living.”John Sandford, Founder, Elijah House

Dr. Edward Hersh earned a doctorate degree in Religious Studies an MA in Human Service Counseling. He directs a prayer counseling ministry near Lancaster, PA where he and his wife of 30 years operate Blue Rock Bed and Breakfast.

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About the Author

Ed and his wife Stephanie,
married since 1980, are parents of four children. They are Innkeepers at Blue
Rock Bed and Breakfast near Lancaster, PA hosting many who come for vacation,
respite, and ministry. See more at http://bluerockbnb.com For
ministry info see http://healing.bluerockbnb.com. Dr. Hersh earned a Doctor of
Religious Studies in Conflict Management at Trinity Seminary and earned an MA
in Human Service Counseling from Regent University. Pastor Ed has completed
advanced level training in techniques for healing of the inner person. As an
ordained minister he provides chaplain services and pastoral counseling to
individuals and families. His writing, teaching, and training ministry have
taken him around the world. He maintains membership in AACC, CAPS, HarvestNet
Inc., and other professional and ministry organizations. Lancaster County, PA
has many attractions to make a wonderful family vacation. We would welcome your
stay at the Blue Rock BnB. We also host small retreats and in addition to the
hospitality and prayer counseling we offer training to help leaders and lay
counseling teams sharpen their skills in prayer counseling and healing
ministry. Also see http://book.bluerockbnb.com for Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart.